


Road Tripping

by Spiderminx (WebbedUpKatanas)



Category: New Warriors, Scarlet Spider (Comics), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, M/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:42:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28969263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WebbedUpKatanas/pseuds/Spiderminx
Summary: Vance hadn’t expected his road trip with Robbie to end up like this. But he was glad it had.
Relationships: Vance Astrovik/Kaine (Spider-Man)
Kudos: 4





	Road Tripping

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t posted a fic in 10000 years. So of course it’s a rare pair. Hope the few Vance/Kaine shippers enjoy!

Dying somewhere out in the wilderness had not been on their road trip itinerary.

At least not on the one Vance had planned out. Robbie didn’t seem to mind so much, still dancing around the smashed car with a look of awe on his face. He poked at the shattered glass windshield with his foot and whistled.

“I don’t know,” he said cheerfully as glass rained down from where he had prodded. “I think she might still be drivable.”

Vance put his head in his hands and groaned. He’d given up on inspecting the car a few minutes ago in favor of sitting on a fallen mesquite tree and moping.

“Aww c’mon, don’t be like that! I’m supposed to be the depressed one on this trip, not you!” Robbie bounded back over and plopped himself down on the tree beside Vance. He threw his arm around Vance’s shoulder, and Vance managed what approximated to a laugh.

This road trip had probably been cursed to fail from the very start, but it had seemed like a marginally good idea at the time.

It was at least better than watching his best friend waste away under the weight of his crushing depression and misplaced guilt.

When Robbie had been at the psych hospital things had been rough, but at least he’d had access to some good therapists. Vance had put him up as soon as he’d been discharged, and at first his continued therapy had been going well. It was an uphill battle certainly, but Robbie had been making so much improvement despite all of the bullshit life continued to throw his way. There were ups and downs, but all in all Vance had noticed a resilience that had disappeared long ago returning to his best friend.

Until the anniversary of Stamford came around.

Robbie Baldwin was one of the few teachers to survive the explosion. The perp had headed straight for the elementary school, and no one had been aware of the bomb he’d had strapped to his chest.

612 casualties, 60 of them children.

Survivors guilt was a hell of a weight to bear even without the media coverage bringing it back up. 

So Vance had proposed a cross country trip. He had the whole summer off, after all, and it wasn’t like Robbie was doing anything, nor was he seeing anyone.

That had been the jab that finally made him laugh, and incredulously agree.

“This is going to be an absolute disaster,” he’d said confidently.

Vance was reluctant to admit it, but it seemed he’d been right.

“Look,” Robbie said, squeezing his shoulders. “It could be worse. We could have been in the car when this happened.”

Vance lifted his head to look at the demolished car. Something metal inside the wreck clanged ominously as it fell to the ground, and Vance went back to the solace of hiding his face.

“God. Who drives a truck into a car and just leaves it there?” He muttered, voice muffled by his palms. 

“Truckers,” Robbie said seriously.

Vance groaned.

The only good thing was that they’d had most of their supplies in their tent, which had been set up a short distance away. 

And Vance at least had 50% battery left on his phone. Robbie’s, typically, had died last night.

“I can’t believe I’m telling you this, but cheer up man,” Robbie told him, removing his arm from Vance’s shoulder in favour of smacking him in the side instead. “Tow truck guy said he’d be here soon, no point in looking like a sulky hobo when he gets here. He might not give us a ride.” 

“Hah hah,” Vance deadpanned. “Though I am regretting not shaving yesterday. This stubble is starting to itch.” 

The rumble of a truck coming down the narrow dirt ‘road’ made them both look up.

“Oh thank god, I thought we were going to die out here,” Robbie cheered, jumping up off of the log and waving his hands wildly at the tow truck that was making its way towards them. 

Vance stood much less enthusiastically, and followed behind him. “I don’t think he appreciates the theatrics,” Vance said blithely, catching sight of the driver’s surly expression as he pulled to a stop beside the wreck of their rental car. 

“What the fuck happened?” the guy said, climbing out of his tow truck and straight into Vance’s neglected libido.

The first thing he noticed was that this guy was built. His arms were ridiculous, with muscle so pronounced that Vance figured he might be able to pick up the shattered wreck and carry it back to town.

His white grease stained shirt was tight enough that Vance could count his abs through it, and his black jeans had a large belt buckle with a spider on it that drew unfair attention to his crotch. And he was wearing cowboy boots.

Vance was suddenly incredibly thirsty.

“A transport truck, we’re guessing,” he said, striding forward. “I’m Vance, nice to meet you.” 

The driver just grunted, ignoring Vance in favour of looking the car over. 

“What kind of dumbass parks their car on a road this narrow?” he growled, kicking irreverently at one caved in door. 

Vance and Robbie had needed to combine their efforts to get the wrecked vehicle up onto solid ground from it’s position teetering upside down on the edge of a ditch. And even though it was far enough on solid ground to be safe, Vance had a moment of distress at the thought of this guy kicking it back down, all the way into the ditch this time. 

Okay, so now he was thirsty and annoyed.

“It was off of the road. There was plenty of room for even a truck to go by,” Vance snapped defensively. The guy looked up at him, and raised an eyebrow. Vance refused to look away, and something stubborn and intense passed between them.

“Ooookaaaay,” Robbie cut in, bouncing on his heels. “If you two are done whatever that was, can we maybe get a ride into town? Along with the car corpse, though honestly at this point that’s optional.”

The guy grunted again (clearly he was eloquence incarnate) and jerked his thumb towards his truck. “I’ll hook her up. You two idiots get in the truck and try not to touch anything.” 

“I’m gonna touch all the things,” Robbie faux whispered, tugging at Vance’s arm and breaking him away from the strange spell that had kept his eyes locked with this other man’s. 

They climbed into his truck, which aside from a few fast food wrappers, was actually fairly clean. It smelled faintly of sweat and motor oil, with a barely there touch of some kind of cologne. 

“So, he’s a ray of sunshine, isn’t he?” Robbie said cheerfully, making himself comfortable in the back seat. Which left Vance to either sit beside Mr. Happy, or awkwardly sit in the back with Robbie and treat the asshole driver like a chauffeur. 

He reluctantly opened the front door, his manners outweighing his desire to stay away from the gruff asshole. 

“All set,” the guy said, climbing up into the driver's seat. “I hope you don’t actually expect me to fix that hunk of junk.”

“You’re a mechanic?” Robbie asked incredulously. 

“I’m the mechanic,” he said, starting the engine. “Unless you want old Nelson working on it. Last time he changed the brakes on a car the damn thing crashed before it was down the street.”

Well shit.

“We need her up and running,” Vance said. “Unless you have a rental place in town.”

He snorted. “Town has a population of 20. They don’t get many tourists anymore. You’re lucky they’ve got a goddamn mechanic.” 

“Right. Well, we have money enough, if you think you can do it,” Vance said, the challenge presented so casually that it was nearly imperceptible. 

“Fuck you, of course I can fix it. But it’s gonna take a while,” he said. “At least a week, maybe longer. Takes for fucking ever to get parts out here.”

Vance nodded. He’d figured as much. Out of all of the nearby towns, Remora was the only one that had boasted a mechanic. They were well and truly in the middle of nowhere. 

“What’s your name?” he asked, after a long stretch of silence. Clearly he wasn’t going to be getting an introduction, so he might as well be blunt about it. It’d make it easier, give him something to call him other than That Asshole. 

The asshole in question turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. Vance had to bite back on his urge to remind him to watch the road. There wasn’t anyone else around to run into, after all. 

“Kaine,” he said, monosyllabic as ever. 

A strange name, but it suited him. 

It hadn’t escaped Vance’s notice that Kaine referred to the town residents as ‘them’ rather than ‘us’, nor had he ignored the lack of accent when he spoke. He sounded pretty much exactly like a New Yorker. 

“So do you live in town?” he asked. He didn’t give two shits if Kaine didn’t want polite conversation. He was damn well getting it.

“Yup. For now,” he said, not bothering to elaborate. Fine. It’d take more than three word answers to stop Vance from trying. 

“Does Remora have a hotel? If not we might be asking you for a room.” 

“It has a hotel,” Kaine said quickly. Hah. “Got a bar too.”

Vance sighed. “Great. Could use a drink.”

Kaine grunted. 

Vance eventually gave up on trying to talk, instead letting himself watch as they passed by rolling hills and tall grasses, and herds of cattle. The sun was hot now, enough that Vance was sweating a little. Robbie must be sweltering in the back with his hoodie on, but he wasn’t complaining. And Vance knew for certain that he wouldn’t be taking it off around anyone.

Slowly, they began to see more signs of human life, and soon enough they’d reached a cross street where there were actual buildings. 

“This is downtown,” Kain said, smirking. He took a left and not too far down the road was what looked to be a rather run down bar. Just a little ways further across the street on the right was a general store that was in a little bit better condition. They passed a house not too far down from the bar, and then the mechanic shop came into view on the other side of the street. 

It was small, and looked like a house that had been repurposed into a garage with a little shed out the back. But the interior was well maintained and looked modern enough. Kaine brought them into the shop from the garage and had them sign some papers and pay a deposit, then disappeared back into the depths of the building. Heading back to the garage, ostensibly to unhook what was left of their car from his truck.

“Don’t know why we had to sign, what does he think we’re gonna do, run out of town? He’s got our car,” Robbie said as they waited for Kaine to emerge from the garage and give them a ride to the hotel. 

“Probably just how they do things,” Vance replied absently. He was looking at the notice board near the door. There was a sparse selection of old ads and flyers, most of which were curled and torn with age, and advertised things like ‘Will mow Your lawn’ or ‘2 for 1 drink night at The Other bar & grill’. 

“Let’s go,” Kaine said when he returned, wiping his hands off on a dirty rag and tossing it onto the desk. He sounded impatient, as though they were the ones keeping him waiting. 

Vance looked to Robbie and rolled his eyes, then followed him out. 

“Hotel isn’t too far,” Kaine volunteered as they drove. It was probably the friendliest he’d been this whole time. “Don’t know how you’ll get around town though.” 

Vance frowned. He’d been wondering the same thing. Everything out here was so far apart that walking was out of the question. He just hoped that the hotel might have a solution, though at this point he wouldn’t be surprised if the hotel was closed for business. 

“Aww, you aren’t gonna drive us around?” Robbie pouted. Kaine used some extremely colourful language at that, but it just made Robbie laugh in a way Vance had missed terribly. “Okay, So you don’t provide taxi service. Gotcha.”

Vance glanced over at Kaine and was surprised to find him actually smiling. Huh. Maybe he did have a sense of humour after all.

The World's Grumpiest Mechanic dropped them at the hotel with nothing more than a curt nod and a promise to update them tomorrow.

Vance paused in the doorway so suddenly that Robbie ran directly into him. 

“Vance, bud. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great you’ve been working out, but you mind explaining why I just got acquainted with your rock hard bod?” Robbie asked, only whining a little bit. 

Vance cringed, both at Robbie’s volume, and at his own stupidity. When he turned to look, Kaine’s truck was already a spot far down the road. 

“I didn’t get his number,” he said. 

“Can’t say I approve of your taste, buddy. But you do you.”

Vance rolled his eyes.

“To check on the truck, Robbie,” he blew out in an exasperated breath. 

Robbie was the one to roll his eyes this time. “First of all, smart guy, you literally called him on your cell earlier. Not to mention that you found their number online.”

Vance flushed. Shit, of course. 

“Second of all, we’re in the smallest town of all time. I’m sure someone could help us find the only mechanic in town.”

“I really need to eat something,” Vance said weakly, shaking his head. He knew things were bad when Robbie was the only one thinking logically between them.

He supposed having your car totaled and being stranded in a strange town were valid enough reasons for anyone to be a little bit off their game.

“Uh huh, you definitely do,” Robbie said, shoving at him gently. “Now let’s go in before the locals start to think we’re crazy, and maybe we can get ourselves some room service!”

Robbie’s excitement at the prospect was contagious, and Vance’s stomach rumbled at the mere thought of food of any kind.

“Well howdy there,” a woman greeted them cheerfully. She looked excited at the mere prospect of a guest, and Vance couldn’t help but wonder how a hotel way out here stayed in business.

“Hello, ma’am,” Vance said, smiling gratefully. “We’d like to book a room with two beds if there’s anything available.”

She laughed, arching one perfectly groomed eyebrow at them. “I’ll see if I can rustle one up for y’all,” her tone was teasingly sarcastic as she glanced down at her computer screen. “Would you look at that! Sho’ nuff, I think we’ll be able to fit y’all in just fine, sugar.”

Vance chuckled, glad that at least the other people in town weren’t as grumpy and rude as their first guide had been. 

“We appreciate it. We don’t know how long we’ll be staying unfortunately. Our car is in the shop right now. It might take a while, it was a bit of a wreck”

She hummed sympathetically. “You poor things! Let me get you boys checked in right quick and y’all go up and get settled. Then if you’re feeling up to it you can come back down and have a nice meal. You must be ‘bout to pass out.”

“Thank you, oh my god, food,” Robbie groaned. “You’re an actual angel.”

The woman, her name tag said Sarah, giggled and pretended to swat at him. “Y’all are such charmers. What’s your names, darlings. I’ll get you all set up.”

She got them checked in, and they trudged their way up to their rooms.

It was a huge relief to drop all of their gear and actually have access to running water. Robbie immediately called dibs on the first shower, so Vance set about unpacking their things. There was no point in living out of a suitcase if they were going to be here for at least a week.

Vance took to the shower as soon as Robbie was done, letting the hot water leech away some of the tension that had settled in his muscles. After his shower and a quick shave he felt marginally more human.

Robbie was already dressed and impatient to go by the time he was done, so without any further dawdling they headed down to get some much needed food.

“Bless, look at how sharp y’all look,” Sarah said happily when they arrived back in the lobby. “You boys clean up real nice. C’mon with me, darlin’s. You must be fixin tuh eat a whole dang cow!”

She sat with them at the table on her break, after much protest that she ‘just couldn’t disturb’ their lunch. Vance took the opportunity to ask her all about the town.

“Used to be we were a hub for all o’ them oil boys, out here fracking you know?” She said, looking rather gloomy. “Built up the place real nice, right quick. Used to be we’d havta drive miles just to get groceries, but soon as the oil companies got involved we had a nice General store and a hotel and real nice internet and cell connections. Then, quick as a jackrabbit in a fox’s den, they up n’ left a year or so back, and here we are. Been gettin’ less and less tourists up this way for a while now.” 

“Damn, so this is like a real life ghost town in the making,” Robbie said, rapt with attention. “Spooky.”

“Robbie,” Vance admonished, but Sarah waved him off with a laugh.

“No no, it’s alright. It sure nuff is, I reckon. But if you want somethin’ spooky I’ve got a few ghost tales I could tell ya.”

Robbie’s eyes brightened instantly. “Yes! Hit me with the spooky goodness!” 

By the time lunch was over Vance was starting to think that everyone in town had, if not seen, at least encountered a spirit.

“You boys let me know if you need anything,” Sarah said once lunch was over. “We’ll make sure to take good care of y’all here.”

“She’s great,” Robbie said as they caught the elevator up. “We should just hang out with her until the truck is fixed.”

“Sure,” Vance agreed, tired now in a way that settled deep in his bones. “I’m sure she won’t get sick of us at all.”

They both passed out the moment their heads touched the pillow, and Vance slept like the dead.

He woke up parched but well rested, and got ready for the day while Robbie snored away in bed. He went about his morning routine, quietly enough that he wouldn’t wake him. Robbie hadn’t been getting nearly enough sleep lately. He deserved a rest.

When he was dressed he made his way back down to the lobby, unsurprised to find Sarah at the desk once more.

“Do you ever get to take a break?” He asked, his tone friendly. 

Her grin was just as bright as she greeted him again. “I get the night shift off sugah, don’t you worry bout lil ol me. How’d y’all sleep?”

“Great, thank you. We’ve been camping for a while now, so a soft bed was a treat.”

“Glad we could be of service sugar,” she said. “Now, I suppose you’ll be wanting to check out our continental breakfast.”

Really, when Vance thought about it, things could have gone a lot worse.

……….

Vance found himself at the local bar sooner than he’d expected to. 

“Go ahead,” Robbie had encouraged him. “I’m just planning on channel surfing the night away.”

So Vance went. Sarah drove him part of the way, and he walked the rest of the way just to save her some time. The walk was too damn hot, but it felt good to stretch his legs at least. 

By the time he got to the bar, he was dying for a cold beer. 

The ramshackle place looked old and tired somehow. Like it had been standing there so long, and had seen so many things that it had developed its own personality.

The faded sign on the front said The Other Bar and Grill, in peeling pink letters. 

The bartender was as cheerful as the jingling bell when he walked in, greeting him warmly. 

Vance looked around and, embarrassingly, found himself to be the only customer.

Well, it was a Wednesday night, and early enough in the evening that he might still get some drinking company before he was through.

“I’m surprised you guys have a bar here. We’ve passed through a lot of dry towns so far,” Vance said to the bartender. She gave him a chuckle.

“We lucked out. Being an oil tourist spot really got us some perks,” she said. “I’m Lorelei by the way.”

“Vance. Pleasure to meet you.”

They chatted about the town for a little as he drank his beers, and Vance soon learned that she and Sarah back at the hotel were a couple. 

“Your town really is a Texan oddity, isn’t it?” he said, smiling as he took the last swig of his third beer of the night.

“Sure enough is,” Lorelei laughed. “Another beer, darlin’?” 

Vance smiled ruefully. “I think just a water, please. I have to at least pretend to be responsible.”

She giggled and grabbed him a fresh glass, filling it with ice and water. “That’s mighty respectable of you,” she said as she poured, winking.

The sound of a truck’s engine signalled that someone else had arrived. Vance was grateful. At least he wasn’t the only person in town drinking on a Wednesday night.

After a moment, the door to the bar swung open, and none other than Kaine the grumpy mechanic himself entered. His eyes caught on Vance sitting at the bar for a moment before he looked purposefully away.

Of course it’d be him. Vance sighed, realizing that he’d lost his slim chance at moral redemption.

“Good evening, sugar,” Lorelei greeted Kaine just as cheerfully as she’d greeted Vance, despite the demeanour of the man stalking towards the bar. “I suppose you’ll be wanting your regular?”

“Thanks,” Kaine grunted. Lorelei passed him a bottle of beer. He was doing his level best to avoid Vance’s eyes, and while normally that would have bothered him, Vance decided that he was having too nice of a time to let some surly mechanic ruin it. 

Kaine took his beer over to one of the few tables and sat down to stare at it broodingly. 

“Is he always like this?” Vance asked. Lorelei laughed and slid Vance his water. 

“Kaine? Aint known him no other way, sugar,” she said, lowering her voice. “Blew into town a few months back. Ain't seen no kin or nothin as to come visit him. He set up shop with old man Nelson and done right enough by him Nelson up and gave him the place when he decided it was ‘bout time he start winding down t’wards retirement. Though if you'd asked me I think the Williams' car woulda 'preciated the retirement comin along a might earlier.”

She smiled mischievously, and turned to shout to her only other customer.

"Kaine! Sugar! You remember the day the Williams car fell plum apart on 203?”

Kaine looked up, brow furrowed as he looked between the two of them, and Vance had to fight back his smile. Poor guy looked so confused that it was almost adorable.

“Yeah,” he grunted. “Fuckin’ Nelson.” He turned back to his beer then, and Lorelei giggled. 

She lowered her voice again, leaning towards Vance conspiratorially. “He does good work, but he’s not much for talking. He's a real taciturn sorta fella. Ya know of them folks as to ain't ever met a stranger? Well, ol sugar guts ain't ever met a friend. Don't want one either, I reckon. Comes here ev’ry night alone and leaves the same way.” 

“Huh,” Vance said, taking a drink and thinking this over. So it wasn’t just him and Robbie. Kaine was like this with everyone. It took a bit of the edge off of Vance’s annoyance, leaving a great big question mark in its place. That’d be a lonely life, and he’d seen what living a lonely life did to people far too many times before. 

“Well, can’t hurt to try, right?” He grinned and stood up from the bar as Lorelei smothered her laughter behind her hand.

Kaine looked like he might actually kill him as Vance plunked himself down in the chair across from him. 

“Hey,” Vance said, feeling brave now that he had a few beers under his belt. “Mind if I join you?”

He could hear Lorelei laughing as she retreated to the back room to try to hide it, and it bolstered his confidence. At the very least he’d provided some entertainment for the night.

“Yes, I fucking mind,” Kaine growled at him. If he was trying to intimidate him, he wasn’t doing a great job. All he managed to do was make his voice sound low and sexy and damn near irresistible. 

“Hmm. Kinda looks like it’s too late, doesn’t it?” Vance said, cheerful as anything. Kaine stiffened, and Vance was momentarily concerned that he was about to leap over the table and choke him out.

Instead he locked eyes with Vance, and very deliberately leaned back in his chair. Still stiff, but obviously resigned to his fate.

“Most people ask before they sit down,” was what he finally said after a long pull of his beer. “Thought maybe a polite sunnuva bitch like you might know that already.”

Vance settled into his seat, relatively certain that Kaine would have kicked his ass by now if that’s what he’d wanted to do.

“I wasn’t entirely sure you’d catch on, you know, based on your manners so far.”

Kaine glared, his posture shifting inwards like he wanted to hide. “The fuck do you want from me?” 

Vance blinked, thrown off. So far everything this asshole had done was the exact opposite of what Vance expected. 

“I just want to sit with you and drink. You know, maybe talk?” He said, leaning back into what he hoped was a more relaxed and friendly position. “Like people do sometimes.”

Kaine eyed him suspiciously. His gaze was calculating and so honestly confused that it made Vance feel kinda sorry for him.

“You’re having water?” is what Kaine finally settled on, eyebrows raised as he switched that suspicious look to Vance’s sweating glass.

“I’ve already had a few.”

“How responsible of you,” Kaine mocked. 

“I figured the state is dry enough without me draining the entire supply of the only pub for miles,” Vance replied with a roguish smile, not deterred at all by Kaine’s sharp tone. And wonder of wonders, Kaine laughed genuinely at that. Vance found it more gratifying than he probably should have. 

They both settled as they talked, and though it was work getting Kaine to open up enough to even talk about something as small as the town he lived in, it was strangely worth it. 

“Seems like everyone here knows of you, but not a lot about you,” Vance said. His water had left a ring of wetness on the grafitied wood of the table, and the ice was mostly melted.

“No point getting to know anyone,” Kaine said, shrugging. “I’m not planning on staying here too long.”

The way he said it held an unspoken ‘I never do’, and Vance couldn’t help but wonder what his story was. But he was pushing enough just asking for basic information. And shockingly, he was actually making progress. No need to set it back by prying too hard.

So he steered the conversation back to a safer route. He found himself talking about himself quite a bit as well. And when Kaine revealed that he was also from New York they spent a good amount of time lovingly commiserating about how terrible it was there.

Late into the evening Kaine took the final swig of the beer he’d been nursing for the better part of the last hour or two, and nodded to the door. “Closing time soon. I’d suggest you get out before Lorelei chases you off with a broom.”

Vance looked over to the bar and flushed as his eyes met Lorelei’s. She must have been watching them the entire time they’d been chatting, and Vance was suddenly struck by the fact that he was in a small town full of strangers. Not that Lorelei seemed at all aggressive or judgemental or anything. It was more the fact that he’d straight up forgotten where he was that made him feel off. He’d lost track of everything while he’d been chipping away at the man across from him, mining him for conversation. 

“Honey, you make me sound like some kinda witch! And you know that’s more Sarah’s thing,” she giggled. “Stay as long as y’all want, but don’t touch the booze. And make sure you close the door good and tight when you leave so the critters don’t get in,” she added, winking at Vance. “You actually got ol’ grumpy guts over here talking. I’m not fixing to get in the way of an actual miracle.”

“Uh, thanks,” Vance told her. She gathered her things and slung her large purse over her shoulder, slapping a key down on the bar, before heading to the door. 

“Lock up for me, Kaine sugar. Put the keys in the usual place.” 

And with that, she was gone, and Vance was alone with the hottest, rudest dickhead he’d ever met. 

“She lets you lock up?”

Kaine’s grin was all teeth and insincerity as he replied “On account of how damn trustworthy I am.” 

Vance laughed harder than he’d meant to, but he blamed that on the booze. He always was a giggly drunk. “Sure. That’s the number one adjective I’d use to describe you,” he said through his chuckle. “Trustworthy.”

“Is it, now?” Kaine said, and all of the humour drained out of Vance to be replaced with a simmering heat to match the heat in Kaine’s expression. 

Vance swallowed, then drank the last of his water, eyes wandering the room when locking eyes with the man across him became too much. They landed on a much abused dartboard in the corner behind Kaine. Good. A distraction. 

“You play darts?” he asked, clearly catching Kaine by surprise. 

“What?” he asked, eyes narrowed in confusion. 

“Darts,” Vance clarified, enunciating clearly and precisely. “Do you play?” he nodded towards the dart board, and Kaine turned to look. 

“Sometimes.”

Vance figured that was as much as he was going to get. Monosyllabic answers were distressingly common when talking to Kaine. 

He pushed his chair back with a loud scraping sound and made his way over to the board. The cork was a mess, with holes and in some cases entire chunks missing. But the darts still stuck when he tested it. 

“Come on,” Vance said, nodding his head towards the board as he took his spot behind the barely-there line that was drawn on the floor. “Unless you’re scared you’ll lose.”

Kaine clearly saw through him, but he glared regardless, and watched as Vance threw a dart before standing up. He wobbled as he stood, which was a bit concerning since he’d only had one beer. But then he was lilting forward, and Vance abandoned all conscious thought as he rushed to catch him before he face planted. 

He was heavy. Probably all those muscles, Vance thought muzzily as he tried not to drop him on the sticky bar floor. Those muscles were hard beneath his hands as he steadied Kaine with a grunt.

“Shut the fuck up,” Kaine was growling before Vance could even ask if he was okay. He straightened out, shoving Vance away from him as he did so. 

“I didn’t say anything,” Vance snapped back. Why did he have to be such a giant dick? 

Kaine snatched the dart from Vance’s hand and continued to glare.

Then, because Vance didn’t know when to leave well enough alone, he continued. “One beer, huh?”

“I told you to shut up,” Kaine growled, stalking closer. But intimidation didn’t work on Vance. especially not when he was this tipsy and riled up. 

“There’s no shame in being a lightweight.”

His back was against the wall before he could even react, with Kaine’s heaviness keeping him pinned. 

“Fuck,” Vance managed to pant, out of breath from the impact. Trapped between a literal wall and a wall of muscle, he felt his face heat as he took stock of every place their bodies connected. 

Kaine’s pupils blew wide, and he experimentally pressed down harder. If Vance made a noise, it was soft enough that no one but Kaine could have heard it.

Vance could have done a lot of things. He could have punched Kaine right in his stupidly attractive face, or shoved him off just as hard. He could have cussed him out, or kept his cool and demanded that he move.

Instead of doing any of those things, he kissed Kaine with a ferocity he hadn’t known he had in him. The kiss was hard and biting, and more aggressive than Vance had ever experienced with any of his partners over the years. 

It was also so fucking good that it, quite literally, made his toes curl. 

“You’re such a-” Vance gasped as Kaine bit his neck, only to soothe it with lips and tongue. “Such a fucking asshole. God, fuck.” 

He slid his hands down Kaine’s well muscled back, under his surprisingly soft cotton shirt, and felt the way the touch shivered under Kaine’s skin. 

Kaine nearly tore Vance’s shirt as he moved to slide it up over his head, and Vance felt a hysterical laugh build up in his chest. Okay. This was happening.

They surged back together the moment Vance’s shirt was gone, and Vance pressed their lips back together like he was starved for it. 

“Unfair. Advantage,” he mumbled against Kaine’s lips, cupping the curve of his ass through his jeans. “Take your goddamn shirt off.”

Kaine didn’t answer, which was typical. Instead, he backed Vance against the wall again, reached between their bodies to tug his shirt up and off, and threw it in the general direction he’d sent Vance’s flying. 

He mouthed wet, sucking kisses down Vance’s neck, down his chest, his stubble rough against his skin. When he closed his teeth around a nipple, Vance moaned and nearly cracked his head off of the wall behind him.

“Jesus. Kaine,” Vance shuddered when Kaine rewarded the sound of his name by sucking and tounging at the hard nub and working at the fastenings of Vance’s jeans. 

He got his brain back on track enough to undo Kaine’s belt buckle and slide the damn thing off. By the time he’d achieved this feat, Kaine had him down to his boxers, and was using that hot hot mouth to kiss down his stomach. 

“Gonna blow you,” he growled, low and rough and sexy. “Let me suck you off.”

It wasn’t phrased as a question, but it undoubtedly was one. Even still, Kaine was licking along the waistband of his underwear, kissing down onto the fabric and wetting it just above Vance’s very interested cock. 

“Yeah,” Vance managed as Kaine went fully to his knees. “Yeah. That’s… yeah.”

Kaine snorted out a laugh, but then his hot mouth was sucking the outline of Vance’s cock through the fabric like he was worshiping it. Vance’s hand rested on Kaine’s head, nails digging in when he couldn’t get enough of a grip on his shaved hair to be satisfying. 

Despite how rough and desperate he’d been so far, Kaine seemed to be content with just teasing at him, tracing every inch of him with the tip of his tongue, before he’d flatten it and lick a long line back up to the head. 

“C’mon,” Vance absolutely did not beg. “C’mon, you’re killing me here.” 

Kaine made a smugly satisfied sound against him, then groaned when Vance realized that he could get his shin between Kaine’s legs. Vance was gratified to find that Kaine was just as hard as he was. 

Apparently all it took for Kaine to finally pull out Vance’s cock was a bit of motivation in the form of friction against his jean-clad erection. After Vance was exposed, Kaine wasted no time in sliding him deep into his mouth, moaning the whole way. 

“Oh god, your mouth,” Vance said reverently. Both hands were on Kaine’s head now, not guiding so much as just holding on for dear life. 

Kaine’s smug noise was entirely warranted, and had the added bonus of vibrating through him like a plucked guitar string.

Vance bit his lip, trying hard to keep the stream of praise and curses from spilling out. His hips were moving now, in gentle thrusts that he tried to suppress, even when Kaine made a gruff annoyed sound and tried to coax him into thrusting harder. 

“Not gonna last,” he said by way of explanation. “Want to get my hands on you.”

Vance punctuated this by rubbing his leg up against the bulge in Kaine’s pants. 

Kaine gave him one last deep pass, before pulling off and mouthing at the head. Those fierce brown eyes looked up at him and Vance nearly lost it, watching those lips slip down and back up, and his tongue flattening across his tip.

Then that warm suction was gone as Kaine stood. 

His tongue tasted like precum. It should have been gross, but instead it was unbearably hot. 

Vance wasted no time in freeing Kaine from his pants (and his boxers too, because he wasn’t a teasing bastard. At least, not right now) and taking him in hand. 

It would have been better with some lube, but Kaine didn’t seem to mind so much as Vance slicked his hand with his precum and jerked him off with quick, fairly rough strokes. 

Vance smirked at the sounds Kaine was making now, and quickly figured out that if he shifted his position just a little bit he could take them both in hand. His own cock was still slick from Kaine’s blowjob, and the feeling of their erections sliding together in his grip was enough to have him panting against Kaine’s shoulder.

While he was there, he figured he might as well kiss him, though perhaps calling it kissing was generous. It was more like mouthing wetly at his neck and shoulder, tasting his sweat and feeling his rumbling moans against his lips. 

Vance thumbed at the head of Kaine’s dick, along with a hard bite to the juncture of his neck and shoulder, and just like that Kaine was coming with an agonized groan.

It was one of the hottest things Vance had ever seen.

He pumped them both a few more times, until Kaine was shuddering and pushing his hand away. Before he could say anything, Kaine was back on his knees, taking his cock into his mouth with a contented hum.

“Oh Jesus,” Vance managed shakily, taking deep breaths and trying his hardest not to just come right then and there. 

But there was no way he was lasting long. 

“Kaine, I’m close,” he said, getting precariously close to the edge. “Where do you want-“

Kaine locked eyes with him and hummed, part acceptance, part challenge, and all sexy as hell.

It pushed Vance over the edge, and Kaine swallowed around him like a goddamn… something sexy. Fuck, he couldn’t even think right now. 

Kaine wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood. 

Vance let out a shuddering breath. Holy crap, that was amazing.

Now, of course, came the awkward, sticky, regret portion of the evening. Kaine seemed like the kind of guy who’d kick you out of his bed before you’d even caught your breath.

But Kaine was seemingly determined to prove him wrong at every turn, and instead Vance found himself with his arms around Kaine’s neck, kissing him slow and lazy and deep.

“Didn’t think you had that in you,” Kaine said when they finally stopped kissing to get dressed. 

Vance glared. “You know, you’re really great at ruining a good moment,” he said, though he couldn’t really muster up the annoyance he wanted to convey. Not when his bones felt like jelly and Kaine was bending over (giving him a very nice view) to grab his boxers off of the floor.

Kaine didn’t say anything, but he was grinning when he turned to throw Vance’s pants and boxers at him. 

They got dressed, and Kaine headed back to the sink behind the bar to clean himself up. Right. They were in a goddamn bar. 

Vance’s neck heated as he thought about facing Lorelei again. They could have at least gone back to Kaine’s place.

“Heads up,” was the only warning he got before a wet cloth landed on his face. He yelped, then glared as he grabbed it and cleaned himself off.

The silence between them now wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it wasn’t awkward either.

“You need a ride?” Kaine asked him. 

Vance flushed, imagining riding him. God, that would be good.

Kaine smirked, like he knew what Vance was thinking. “Back to the hotel. Since your car’s still wrecked in my yard?”

“Yeah,” Vance replied, trying to keep his composure. “That’d be nice. Thanks.”

Robbie was going to go to town on him the moment he walked in looking rumpled and satisfied. God damn it.

“Maybe, I could stay at your place?” he blurted out before he could stop himself. 

Kaine looked him over, his eyebrows scrunched in thought. Vance tried not to fidget under his curious gaze. “Fine. But don’t go getting comfortable. This is a one time thing,” Kaine told him, heading for the door.

“Of course,” Vance agreed, shooting Robbie a text. He’d deal with his best friend tomorrow when he had the energy to take the teasing. 

“I mean it,” Kaine repeated. “I don’t… do this. Have people over. Shit like that.”

Vance nodded. “Understood. Hear you loud and clear,” he said, already wondering if he could get Kaine into bed this time around, or if they’d be fucking at his front door, or hell, even in his truck.

“Good,” Kaine said. “Just this once.”

………..

Half a week later Vance had slept at Kaine’s place more than he’d slept at the hotel that he and Robbie were ostensibly staying at.

“I think it’s good for you,” Robbie told him. “And I’m glad at least one of us is getting laid. Though I don’t understand why it had to be grumpy mechanic dude.” 

“He’s… complex,” Vance said, wincing at his awkward phrasing. 

Robbie practically howled with laughter. “Complex? God you’re whipped.” 

Vance couldn’t really argue with that. He’d become more fond of Kaine than was probably healthy. Especially given that they’d be leaving soon, and Kaine didn’t seem like the type to stick around for too long anyways.

“So how’s the car coming along?” Vance asked Kaine one day, lounging on Kaine’s bed naked except for the sheet pulled across him.

“It’s a wreck,” Kaine grunted. “I’m working on it.” 

“Right. I guess you’ve been a little bit distracted,” Vance teased. Kaine’s grin sent little thrills through him.

“You could say that, yeah,” he said, abandoning whatever the hell he’d been doing over by the dresser to stalk over to the bed. 

Anticipation curled in Vance’s stomach as Kaine climbed up onto the bed and tossed the sheet carelessly aside.

“You’re looking pretty distracted right now,” Vance smirked, shivering as Kaine ran his hands over his chest. 

“Shut up,” Kaine demanded, and then kissed him to emphasize the point. 

As far as ways of silencing him went, Vance was a big fan of this one. 

Kaine kissed with a singular focus that made Vance shudder. Being the centre of that kind of attention was good, and even better was Kaine’s wandering hands that kept skimming inexorably lower. 

Vance was still slick and loose enough that he accepted Kaine’s finger easily. But Kaine didn’t go slow prepping him this time around. 

Once he’d gotten three fingers inside, Kaine lubed up his erection and sank into Vance with a satisfied groan. The stretch was amazing. Kaine’s cock was a good size, just on the right side of big. It felt sinfully good inside of him. 

“Kaine,” he gasped, rolling his hips along with Kaine’s thrusts. Kaine always responded well to the sound of his name, and this time was no different. He moaned and kissed him. He kept his thrusts slow, but so deep that each press inside had Vance’s toes curling in pleasure. 

They kissed until they lost their breath, and Vance clung to Kaine’s back desperately as he fucked him. 

Kaine shifted, maneuvering them so that Kaine was sitting with Vance astride him. Vance moaned as the shift pressed Kaine’s cock impossibly deeper into him. 

“Oh fuck,” he managed to gasp out. 

“Yeah. Ride me,” Kaine growled, his voice low and sexy. 

Vance moved, rocking himself into Kaine’s lap. Fuck that was good. 

Kaine didn’t last long. He came inside Vance, something Vance was still getting used to. It was almost embarrassing how much he liked the idea of it. 

It was like how Kaine marked up his shoulders and neck. It felt possessive. It was so good.

“Keep going,” Kaine demanded when Vance tried to still his hips and give him a break. 

“Sure thing,” Vance breathed, bouncing in his lap like his life depended on it. 

Kaine got a hand around his dick, and from there it was only a matter of time before Vance was coming all over Kaine’s chest. 

Fuck, that was hot too. Kaine looked good. He looked so fucking good. 

Vance kissed him, unable to stop himself. Kaine responded eagerly, and kept the kiss going until they’d both lost their breath. 

“Mmm, that was good,” Vance said, moving from Kaine’s lap and stretching languorously. 

Kaine flopped down beside him, close enough that they were touching. Vance couldn’t help but be pleased at the proximity. Kaine had turned out to be quite the cuddler despite his gruff exterior, and Vance was glad for it. All of his past partners had been cuddlers too, never mind that they’d all been women. And it was nice to see that Kaine had a soft side underneath all that grumpy posturing. 

And yup, there came the arm around his waist. Vance grinned and settled in for a cuddle. 

He could get used to this. 

……….

Another half a week found Vance, Robbie and Kaine having breakfast together at the hotel. 

“I was thinking,” Kaine said, only to have Robbie interrupt.

“Ooh I thought I smelled something frying.”

Kaine glared, but didn’t dignify that with a response.

“I was thinking about leaving town,” he said, looking at his plate. 

Vance’s heart lurched in a rather unpleasant way. Kaine was going. He’d half expected this the whole time, but it still hurt. He wasn’t sure what he’d been thinking really. That he and Kaine could be some sort of couple? They’d been destined to leave town anyways, once the car was fixed. 

And speaking of the car…

“What about our ride?” Robbie chimed in. “You haven’t finished it yet!”

Kaine looked up at that, only it wasn’t Robbie he was looking at. No, he was looking straight at Vance, his expression something complicated and thoughtful.

“I figure the car’s beyond saving,” he said. 

Kaine looked back down at his plate.

“So if you need a ride I can take you to a town with a rental service. Just might be a long trip is all.”

Vance’s heart was pounding. “Yeah,” he said as nonchalantly as he could, before Robbie could say something to spook Kaine. “I think that’d be okay. What do you think Robbie?” 

After all, it was supposed to be a trip for Robbie’s mental health, not a whirlwind romance for Vance. 

“Grumpy taxi service is a go!” Robbie said, smiling. God it was so good to see him smile genuinely again. 

“I’m not a fucking taxi service,” Kaine growled. Then he looked at Vance. “What the hell are you smiling about?”

Vance laughed, pressing his leg against Kaine’s under the table. “Nothing. I’m just happy.”

Kaine’s cheeks turned pink, and he grumbled about regretting his choice already, but Vance knew better than to believe him. Kaine was pleased too. 

This was going to be one hell of a road trip.


End file.
